Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) result when there is a mismatch between the physical capacity of workers and the demands of the job. Musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of disability of people in their working years, afflicting over 19 million workers. One-half of the nation's work force is affected at some time during their working lives. Statistics show a steady increase in musculoskeletal disorders. Each year thousands of workers in the United States report work related MSDs such as tendonitis, epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back injuries. Many of these are caused or aggravated by work related stressors such as lifting, reaching, pulling, pushing, and bending.
About one-third of all occupational injuries and illnesses stem from over exertion and/or repetitive motion. Cost to the nation in direct work's comp costs exceed $20 billion. Several high profile studies have been conducted over the last few years by respected scientists from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and others.
Ergonomics is the applied science of equipment design for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.
According to occupational therapy doctors a person standing, walking and working on hard surfaces such as concrete for prolonged periods of time may develop significant cumulative trauma or other injury, such as musculo-skeletal illness, pain, fatigue and inhibited circulation. Both load bearing stress and the gait cycle i.e. walking on concrete requires compressive force and stress loads on a body's muscles, joints and tendons which overtime wear out causing pain, discomfort and often times requiring painful surgery. In these conditions the musculo-skeletal structure is basically the body's internal shock absorption system. Unfortunately, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are common problems as they are a direct interface to the concrete and the first point of shock absorption. Other systemic injuries include the knees, pelvic, lower back and vascular related problems. The pain, fatigue and general discomfort can result in tendinitis, arthritis as well as reduced worker productivity, higher turnover and diminished quality and moral.
In an attempt to alleviate such occupational hazards, employers often place cushioned matting on floors proximate employee workstations. Unfortunately, as employees walk, twist and turn on these mats they sprain, strain and tear soft tissue and other related musculo-skeletal matter in their body's due to their foot sticking while being compressed into the mat. These types of injuries are analogous to downhill skiing injuries in that they more frequently occur when more fatigue is present in the workers typically later in their shift. Due to the frequency and costs of these types of injuries, major companies are restricting the use of matting to limited static jobs only where no walking, twisting and turning is required. Also, bunching and curling of matting create tripping hazards in many settings, including occupational environments. Such hazards are a top recordable complaint in occupational settings. In some cases, the matting is taped, glued and screwed to the floor making that matting a permanent one time use product. Other mats are fastened to the floor via bolts or screws. However the bolts and screws can be the cause of tripping hazards for personnel.
Wood floors are commonly used on basketball and volleyball courts as well as for other sports as a preferred alternative to concrete because of wood's softer, more therapeutic and forgiving composition. Therefore wood floors help reduce injuries in these high impact activities and are now the standard best practice for collegiate and professional sports. Some wood floors are also constructed to maximize a spring type effect utilizing some methods of suspension to further compression absorption and reduce stress. Many factories were made with wood floor during the industrial revolution for these same reasons when they were built on multiple levels. The modern industrial complex of today is generally one level with a floor consisting of concrete. While efficient and cost effective from a construction standpoint, concrete is not very ergonomic in nature as a work floor surface. Due to the non-compressible nature of concrete, a workers joints, tendons and muscles absorb all of the impact due to walking, jumping or any other movements on the floor. Cumulative job activities performed on concrete can and potentially will lead to a multitude of back and lower extremity injuries.
Applicants U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,726 for a “MATTING PRODUCT” teaches a work mat including a top semi-rigid non-slip surface attached to a lower elastomeric layer of a selected compressibility. The outer marginal area of the combined layers tapers to the floor to reduce the trip hazard. A rigid metal rim is fastened between the two layers near the top of the taper to prevent rolling of the edges of the mat. U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,726 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.